Solid Silver Cup And Saucer, France, Late 19th Century—minerva I Hallmark And Silversmith’s Hallmark

Solid silver cup and saucer, France, late 19th century—Minerva 1st hallmark and silversmith’s hallmark

Solid silver set consisting of a cup with a slightly flared rim and a perfectly fitting saucer, each stamped with the Minerva 1st hallmark (950/1000 silver) and a silversmith’s mark clearly affixed beneath the rim.

The cup features a turned wall, adorned with a chiseled and re-pierced decoration in alternating registers: scroll motifs, a scattering of pricked dots, openwork cartouches, and peripheral friezes executed with a chisel.

The handle, hot-mounted, has a contoured, coiled profile with an upper return and an internal shoulder—precise workmanship revealing mastery of hammering and flattening techniques.

The saucer, with a segmented rim, features a design re-pierced into eight lobes, punctuated by regular perforations and a finely beaded border, all perfectly centered around a smooth circular basin.

Dense casting, flawless chiseling, a uniform surface, and no distortion: a piece representative of late 19th-century French goldsmithing, combining the quality of the strike, precision of execution, and stylistic consistency.

Dimensions: 8.5 cm high and 7.5 cm in diameter for the cup. Saucer diameter: 11 cm.

Total net weight: 96 grams